Epidemic
by Ohka Breynekai
Summary: There's a flu going around the Ghost Zone. It's no big deal... until Danny Fenton catches it and the people of Amity Park begin to fall ill. Full summary inside. RxR!
1. Sneeze

**Okay, 'nother story! I told Halfa-NariMaruko and Yoshi about it and they said I should publish it right away. So now you know what I've been doing in my absense. Well, this is really good, so read away!**

**Summary: **_There's a flu going around the Ghost Zone. It's nothing to worry about; i mean, c'mon, they're **ghosts**, they can't die from anything. No big deal... until Danny Fenton catches the flu. He believes it to be a regular cold (besides the fact he caught it from the Box Ghost), something that would go away with enough chicken soup. But when the people of Amity Park start to fall ill... time to worry. And when the first person dies... panic._

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. Duh!**

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_**Epidemic**_

_Sneeze_

Tucker Foley didn't get sick.

… Well, maybe a few times, but only ever once in a while. But even then, whatever he had caught would dissipate within a couple days.

He was proud to say that he was healthy. Tucker had had perfect attendance at school for the past eight years, a new record in the state.

"School is the nicer alternative to where I _could_ be."

His parents thought his good health was a result of "mind over matter." What Tucker feared above all else was hospitals. He could hardly walk past the school nurse's office without breaking down. So maybe his fear of ending up in the hospital gave power to his immune system.

That's one theory. Tucker, of a more teenage level mind, just thought he was lucky. Plain and simple.

Whatever the reason, every time the words "ill", "sick", "fever", "flu", "cold", etc. were mentioned, Tucker could confidently say:

"_Wow! That's greener than ectoplasm, Danny! I'm sure glad I don't get sick. Eww."_

"Could you stop _saying_ that already?" Danny snapped, sinus's clogged. "It's not like we don't hear it enough at school."

Danny Fenton, wrapped in a blanket, sat at his computer desk, his two friends gazing worriedly at him through the computer screen.

"_Speaking of school, I guess this means you're not going tomorrow, huh?" _Sam asked.

"Not unless this clears up overnight." Danny blew his nose loudly. "Stupid Box Ghost," he mumbled.

"_Box Ghost?"_

"_What does he have to do with this?_"

"I think I caught my cold from him. I didn't know ghosts could get sick, but when I showed up he was all like, "BEW-ACHOO!" It was sort of sad, actually, seeing him snot all over his precious boxes."

"_How's your ghost form?_" Sam asked.

Danny went ghost with a sneeze. "Just as sick as I am. Don't worry guys, nothing's malfunctioning." He sneezed again and fell through his computer chair. "Ow! Except that, but that happened when I caught Sam's cold too."

There was a knock on Danny's door, and Danny quickly turned back into his human self. Just in time too, because seconds later, his mother entered the room.

"Danny, I wanted to- why are you in the floor?"

"Oh, I… sneezed so hard I fell off my chair."

Maddie frowned. "I think you should go to bed now. It wasn't even good letting you stay up this late. Say goodbye to your friends, and I'll be up to tuck you in fifteen minutes."

After Danny's mother left, Sam and Tucker let out their suppressed giggles.

"What?"

"_Your mom still puts you to bed?"_

"_Does she give you warm milk and read to you too?"_

Danny's eyes flashed green. "No. She just gets a little overprotective when me and Jazz get sick. She doesn't like having us out of her sight, so if that means tucking us in, she will do it. I know _your_ parents get all psycho when you're sick, Tuck."

"_That's because they think it will be the death of me. Like I said, I never-"_

"_Shut up!_" Sam and Danny yelled in unison.

---

Danny awoke with a groggy head. He groaned and turned to look at his clock. 5:42. He almost groaned again, but the noise was intercepted by a cough. It was thick and harsh, a sign of drainage.

Danny rolled over and pulled his covers close, trying to fall back asleep. The familiar calm had begun to wash through him, when his throat started to tickle.

He coughed again, harder, triggering his intangibility and falling through his bed.

There was a knock on his door, so Danny quickly rolled out from under the furniture. Thankfully, though, it was only Jazz, coming to check on him.

"Why are you on the floor? …Oh, are your powers messing up?"

"Yeah (cough). But that's normal. They did this last time I was sick." Danny coughed again and turned invisible. His disembodied voice continued, "I only hope Mom and Dad don't see me like this." As he returned to visibility, he thought of what would happen…

Jack would immediately yell, "GHOST!" and point a gun at him. And Maddie, the scientific thinker, would immediately connect the dots and decide that the ghosts had cursed him with his sickness. Not too far from the truth.

Soon afterward, they would have him pinned to a lab table and begin all their tests and experiments, trying to figure out how to cure him. The tests would lead his parents to discover that Danny couldn't be cured of the ghostly energy. That Danny _was_ ghostly energy.

And after that revelation, three things could happen.

One: his parents calmly ask how it happened and accept Danny's being a halfa.

Two: they think he's possessed and throw him through the Ghost Catcher, separating his ghost and human halves.

Three: they blow him up.

Danny sniffled, and shuddered at the ending of his mind's journey.

"You'll just have to be careful. You apparently made it through your last illness," Jazz pointed out.

"That one wasn't as bad, for some reason. Maybe it's because the last one was a human sickness."

"What do you mean 'human'? Don't tell me-"

"I caught this from the Box Ghost. He _sneezed_ all over me. Disgusting, green, gooey, slime stuff."

"Eww… I didn't know ghosts could get sick. How is this affecting your ghost half?"

"It's fine. I'm fine. No big deal. (cough) I want to go back to sleep," Danny complained.

"Of course." Jazz gave Danny a hug and wished he'd get well soon.

A few coughs and sneezes later, Danny was unconscious.

---

"Morning, Maddie!" Jack Fenton boomed. "I just started a new invention: the Fenton Inviso-Dapter! It lets the person wearing it copy the ghostly power of invisibility!"

"That's great, hun." Maddie smiled encouragingly, but still looked distracted.

"So… how's Danny?" Jack asked, thinking he knew the subject of her thoughts.

"Fine, as far as I could tell. He's sleeping… I heard him start coughing last night. Do you think he's getting worse? He could have a fever."

"Ah, it's just a cold. He'll be fine! Strong, just like his old man! Maddie, did we ever take a sample of a ghost's energy while it was invisible?"

"No; we only have the basic ectoplasmic residue commonly found after a ghost attack." In truth, the hunters hadn't even caught a ghost before. Well, there was that one time Maddie, ahem, _Jack_ caught Inviso-Bill. But Jack had accidentally let him get away. Most of their involvement with ghosts had been fighting them off, sending them back to their realm.

"No? Well, time to find the Fisher!" Jack pecked Maddie on the cheek and ran down into the lab.

Maddie sat down at the kitchen table with a sigh. Jack had been correct when assuming she was worried for her son. But it wasn't just his sickness that concerned her. When she had gone to check on Danny, he had been asleep, breathing loudly through clogged airways. Just before Maddie left, Danny had rolled over in his sleep, and his eyes half opened. In the dimness of the room, it was easy to see the slivers of iris glowing green.

---

Jazz skipped down the stairs, running late for once. She was giving a speech to the school today, and had taken extra time getting ready. She was almost sad Danny had to miss it; he had spent most of his Saturday helping her write it.

She found her mother sitting at the kitchen table, her figure tense and expression worried. It was very uncharacteristic of her.

Wanting to ask what was wrong, but knowing she didn't have time to get involved, Jazz silently crept behind Maddie to grab a granola bar and left quickly through the front door.

---

" '_Fear death?- to feel the fog in my throat,  
The mist in my face,  
When the snows begin, and the blasts denote  
I am nearing the place,  
The power of the night, the press of the storm,  
The post of the foe;  
Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form,  
Yet the strong man must go:  
For the journey is done and the summit attained,  
And the barriers fall,  
Though a battle's to fight ere the guerdon be gained,  
The reward of it all.  
I was ever a fighter, so- one fight more,  
The best and the last!  
I would hate that death bandaged my eyes, and forbore,  
And bade me creep past.  
No! let me taste the whole of it, fare like my peers  
The heroes of old,  
Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life's arrears  
Of pain, darkness and cold.  
For sudden the worse turns the best to the brave,  
The black minute's at end,  
And the elements' rage, the fiend-voices that rave,  
Shall dwindle, shall blend,  
Shall change, shall become first a peace out of pain,  
Then a light, then thy breast,  
O thou soul of my soul! I shall clasp thee again,  
And with God be rest!_' "

The class clapped enthusiastically at her reciting; it was exaggerated and full of feeling. There wasn't one err in Sam's speech, unlike the others' monotone performances, which were mostly composed of staring at the ground trying to figure out what word came next.

Sam allowed a small smile to creep onto her face before returning to her seat.

Prospice, by Robert Browning, was about a man who only cared about seeing his beloved once more. He considered death nothing more than another adventure, another step forward in the path of love.

Sam chose this poem to recite because it touched home base with her. No, she didn't have any loved ones in heaven, besides a great-grandmother she had seen once or twice when she was three. But the threat of death was very real to her. Sam knew that every time she helped Danny fight ghosts might be the last time she saw her friends.

Of course Danny had seen the danger his 'job' induced on those around him. He still tried to convince Tucker, Sam, and Jazz to stay away from him. But Sam knew, and Danny knew, that would never happen.

Sam wondered if Danny would be like the man from Robert Browning's poem, if she died. To be that whenever he thought 'death', he thought 'Sam'.

What had Danny picked to recite? Oh yes, Shakespeare's Sonnet 18. He said there wasn't any deep thinking behind it; their entire class had memorized it in seventh grade and he didn't know if he would have time to learn another one.

Sam snapped back to attention when Tucker cleared his throat at the front of the room.

" '_Twas brillig and the slithy toves_

_Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;_

_All mimsy were the borogoves, _

_And the mome raths outgrabe._' "

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**Does everyone know what Tucker's poem is? I'm sure you've all heard of it. I have it memorized; it's just so fun to say.**

**Well, I hope everyone liked this! Review and I'll try to post the next chapter soon! (I know I always say that, and never do, but this time I mean it. I already have Chapter Two written.)**

**Next Update: Fear Week**


	2. Fear Week

"We may all think we're unique. We may all think that no one could _ever_ relate to us. But that is not and will never be true. There is one thing we all share in common: fear.

"The word 'fear' literally means 'an unpleasant, often strong emotion caused by expectation or awareness of danger.' Well, that about explains it, right? Wrong.

"Fear is so much more personal that that. Fear is a physical pain that we carry with us throughout our entire life. It's inescapable and uncontainable.

"Our definition talks of danger. What do they mean by that? Danger of getting hurt? Danger of losing someone you love? Danger of failing that test you didn't study for? There are so many things out there waiting to cause you harm, it's impossible to name them all. And each can produce a certain type of fear. There is the kind that raises the hair on the back of your neck, that tightens your chest and makes it hard to breathe, that tears at your heart and brings forth tears, that turns over your stomach and makes you sick.

"Many people say fear is weakness. It certainly sounds, with all those things going on, that you would be weak, confused, panicked. They may be correct when they say that, but nobody has a right to. When people say, "Fear is weakness," they're letting you know that they fear fear in itself.

"I believe that fear is strength. It clarifies our minds to help us think. It leads us to good decisions that help prevent danger and pain. Without fear, nothing would really matter anymore. It wouldn't matter if your family died, if you failed school, if you were caught by that dark figure in that alleyway. Fear is the very basis of our entire emotional complex.

"Of course, we need to know how to control our fears. If just left to become rampant, you could lose yourself to them, be consumed by fear. Like you need fear, you also need happiness. What is the point of protecting good things if you cannot enjoy them?

"One way to control them is to face them. This works well with irrational fears, like fear of the dark, or fear of heights. If you take your enemies head-on, instead of brooding over them, you may find they lack the power you believed them to own.

"Another is to talk about your fears. Keeping them bottled up inside you can magnify them to be one hundred times worse. And sharing leads to relating. You'll find that many people are afraid of the same things, or variations of them. If others know the problems, they can help you face them.

"That is the purpose of this week. The 'Share Your Fear With Your Peer' program gives students an opportunity to learn about themselves and others, and helps people overcome or at least control their fears. For the next four days we will perform various activities to help accomplish this. No, it won't be essays and projects. More along the lines of games, art, and most importantly talking with each other.

"We hope that this week will be fun and benefit all of you. Remember, fear is _not_ weakness. Just control it; don't let it control you."

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**Sorry for the shortness! I just thought this part was better by itself. I'm sure you guessed, but this was the speech Jazz mentioned in the last chapter. Don't worry, the next chapter will explain everything and be longer. Promise.**

**Thanks to: purrbaby101, Ghostboy814, Dragon Rider Tayo, katiesparks, Esme Kali Phantom, cheesebot12, Phantom of a Rose**

**Oh, and the poem Tucker recited was "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll.**


	3. Trick of the Light

**I bet none of you were expecting this! Frankly, I wasn't either... I was perusing my flash drive and found a folder labeled 'Epidemic' under the 2006-2007 section. And it turns out I've written two more chapters to the story! (am I an idiot or what?) If you are furious with me, don't worry, I deserve it. I've only just read through this chapter and corrected it. The other might not be ready for a few days, but it will come out. **

**Wow, I think this was written back before I even posted chapter two. I can't believe I forgot about it...

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**

_A Trick of the Light_

The audience clapped enthusiastically as Jazz stepped down from the podium. Tucker was the first to stand, followed immediately by Sam. Most of the students were on their feet before Mr. Lancer came to the microphone.

"People! Sit down! Or it's detention for all of you!" The room was soundless. "Thank you. And thank you, Jazz, for that wonderful introduction to the Fear-Peer program." He shook her hand before dismissing her to join Tucker and Sam in the audience.

"We will begin these 'fun' activities tomorrow in your history class. The teachers each have a different project for you that will bring you closer together. I ask that all of you participate, and give respect to your classmates' ideas and feelings.

"I'm sure most have you have heard about the Fear-Peer program on the news. It started in a small school in Washington D.C. and has spread throughout the nation. It has been proven that it increases…" Lancer's voice droned into the background.

"Wow, Jazz, you were great!" Tucker whispered. "Even better than your Spirit Week speech."

She chuckled. "And I didn't have to nearly die this time."

"But yeah, Jazz, that was really good," Sam added. "I swear I heard someone crying a few rows behind me."

"Don't be congratulating me, guys. Danny's actually the one that supplied most of the ideas. Believe it or not, there aren't many times I've been afraid in my life. Not like Danny, who's in danger every minute of every day."

"Huh, is that where that 'test you didn't study for' part came from?" Tucker laughed. Jazz nodded with a smile.

"It's a real bummer that he had to be sick today then," Sam said.

Tucker scratched a spot behind his ear and offhandedly stated, "I recorded it. I'll email it to him." The girls stared at him. "What?"

"You seem real enthusiastic about this whole thing Tucker," Jazz pointed out. "I thought you didn't enjoy group activities." It was dark in the auditorium, but she was sure Tucker blushed.

"Ah, but you see, there will be a lot of emotional girls talking about all the stuff they're scared of. And _I'll _be there to comfort them."

Sam punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Is that all you ever think about, Tuck? Opportunities to pick up girls?"

He grinned. "You know it!"

---

Danny woke up in a fit of coughing. It was noon, and his head was on fire. He quickly scrambled around for the pain-killers Jazz had left on his bedside table and swallowed two. Just feeling something on the back of his throat made him nauseous.

He coughed again, and felt himself turn invisible. Another cough came out as a single sonic wave that blew papers off of his desk and nearly caused a floor lamp to topple. Danny's eyes widened in horror. "No, not _that_."

There was a knock on his door. "Come in," he called hoarsely, warily. He took a swig of water, trying to get the tickle out of his throat. A few seconds later, his mother entered. She pulled his desk chair to the side of his bed and sat down by him.

"Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?"

"Uh, not good." His mom felt his forehead and then his arms, her eyes growing wider every second. "What?"

"Danny, you're burning up!" she exclaimed.

"Really?" Ever since the accident in the lab that turned him into a ghost, his idea of a fever had been having a temperature of 98.6 degrees. If he was hot on normal terms, well, that could mean real trouble.

"Yes. Let me get the thermometer. I'll be right back."

She returned shortly and stuck the glass tube under his tongue. "Now keep it there. You don't want to do this again, do you?" Danny shook his head no. Maddie sighed and brushed his bangs off of his forehead. "I'm sorry you're so sick… Danny, I need to talk to you about this. That's actually the reason I came up here." As he couldn't talk without disturbing the thermometer, he merely gave her a questioning look. "Have you been attacked by any ghosts recently? Seen any? Felt any, even?" More confused than ever, he shook his head.

Maddie took the thermometer out of his mouth. "I knew it; 101.4."

"Why? What do ghosts have to do with anything?"

"I'm just trying to narrow down causes for your illness."

Danny quickly said, "Mom, you think everything is caused by a ghost. Why can't this just be a cold?"

"I looked in on you earlier, Danny, and… I think that your eyes were green. Like a ghost's." Danny stopped breathing. "It might've been some sort of residue the ghost left on you, when it infected you with ghostly bacteria. Now, I know that is frightening, but your father and I should be able to remove the virus if it was indeed caused by a ghost."

He remembered to inhale and forced a laugh that nearly made him cough again. "Mom, again, you think _everything_ is caused by a ghost," he said, trying to talk himself out of the situation. "It was probably just the light playing tricks on you. Right?"

"Well…"

"Mom, I'll make a deal with you. If I'm not feeling better in, let's say, two days, I'll let you and Dad be my doctors. Okay?" He crossed his fingers and hoped he would be over his illness by then. 'Stupid Box Ghost. When I can safely go ghost, I'm coming after you.'

"If you're sure…" Maddie frowned.

"Yeah. Thanks, Mom." He sighed inwardly with relief.

"Try to get some more sleep, okay Danny? I love you." Maddie kissed him gently on the forehead.

"Love you too."

She left the room and Danny fell through his bed once more.

---

Jack sat in a lawn chair in front of an open Fenton Portal, wearing his fishing jacket and soda-drink hat, holding the Fenton Fisher. The line ran into Ghost Zone, where hopefully a ghoul would be stupid enough to pick it up. He happily slurped down root beer and started whistling a chipper tune. This was all he needed, and the Fenton Inviso-Dapter would be complete.

Suddenly, the fishing pole jerked in his hands. "Haha! Got one! Get ready to meet Jack Fenton, spook! Haha!" He reeled the bait in.

The room turned cold and the line went limp. Jack frowned. "Huh…? That's weird." There was a loud sneeze and the ghost of an old woman shimmered into sight. She was plump and kind looking, wearing an apron and a hair net. She stared at him.

"You're not a part of my recipe. How am I supposed to make chicken noodle soup if I'm in here? How _dare_ you mess up my- my- ACHOO!!" The ghost sneezed and a large wad of glowing green snot flew at Jack. It hit him in the face and covered the upper half of his body. "Mess up my menu? Oh, do excuse me. I'm a little under the weather lately… Now, prepare to face your- ACHOOOO!" She turned invisible.

Jack, seeing his chance, grabbed his needle, and stabbed into the space where he guessed the ghost was. He hit something and sucked a substance just as invisible as the ghost into the syringe.

"Ow!" she yelled, and coughed, returning to sight. "I'm too sick to punish you. I can't even complete my sentences… But next time you see me, I will serve you up an extra helping of pain!" Her white hair flared and the ghost flew back through the portal.

Grinning, Jack cried, "I got it! Maddie! _Maddie!_"

* * *

**Thanks to: Ghostboy814, Kimba616, purrbaby101, katiesparks, SummersSixEcho, cheesebot12, The Great Susinko, kittylover1890, Wing-edZenith, The Midnight Phantomess**


	4. A Phone Call

**Hey again! I'm a couple days late, but you all expect that at this point, don't you? lol... I apologize about the length. In retrospect, I should have just stuck these two pages onto Chapter Three, but, here we are. **

**Chapter Five's half written. I'll get to work on it and possibly Twin Heroes over spring break. **

**Also, I've taken up Beta-reading. I'm actually able to keep up with that, because I don't have to come up with the plotlines myself! (Pathetic, huh?) So, if anyone's interested...**

_A Phone Call_

"_Hey Danny,"_ Sam said through the webcam. "_How are you feeling?"_

He sniffed. "Terrible. Listen, I can't stay on long tonight. I don't want to overexert myself." He laughed humorlessly. "I've dug myself in another whole, believe it or not."

A window from Tucker's computer suddenly popped up. "_Hey guys!"_

"_Hey Tucker."_

"Hey Tuck. So, anyway-"

"_What are we talking about?"_ Tucker asked.

"_Well, actually, me and Danny were talking about something important that happened today," _Sam replied irritably.

Danny sighed. "Yeah. My mom walked in on me and my eyes were glowing. So now she thinks that a ghost caused me to be sick."

"_A ghost _did_ cause you to be sick," _Tucker pointed out.

"Yeah, but she's not supposed to know that! Her and my dad want to do experiments on me and you both know what'll happen next." They grimaced. "I-" he broke into a fit of coughing. "I told my mom that if I wasn't better in two days I would let her try and get rid of this virus."

"_Why the hell did you do that?" _Sam exclaimed. _"Sometimes you are a complete idiot! You don't know if you'll be better by then! Danny!"_

Danny and Tucker stared. _"You're in a bad mood tonight, aren't you Sam?" _Tucker asked. The Goth girl glared at him. _"I'll take that as a yes…"_

"I didn't know what else to say. I panicked!" Danny hung his head. "I really, really, doubt I will be well by then. I had a temp. 101."

"_That's not good,_" Tucker said.

"_Way to state the obvious, Tucker."_

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah… so, how was Jazz's speech today?" he asked, smartly changing the subject. "Did everyone like it?"

"_Oh, yeah, we were supposed to congratulate you. We heard you helped write it," _Tucker grinned.

Danny blushed. "I told her not to tell you," he murmured.

"_I recorded it-"_ Tucker started, but Danny gasped sharply and could see his breath.

"Hold that thought Tucker. I'm going ghost!" Routinely, he stood and summoned two white rings that would transform him into Danny Phantom. But half way through the transformation he sneezed and the rings disappeared. "Huh?" He tried again. The rings appeared around his waist and vanished immediately. "Maybe not. I must be more tired than I thought."

"_Go to bed, Danny. We'll stop by tomorrow after school, okay?"_

He chuckled. "Only if you promise to be happy. And not to end up killing Tucker at any point."

"_Sure thing."_

---

Danny couldn't fall asleep, as much as he wanted to. He had to sit up because laying down caused him to be sick to his stomach. He watched television, and tried to play a video game but couldn't concentrate and kept getting killed.

At one point, he heard the phone ring downstairs. Maddie answered it, whoever it was. A few minutes later, she came into his room, looking confused.

"Mom?"

"It was Vlad. He said to tell you to 'stay away from ghosts'. Do you know anything about this?"

"No. Vlad's a nutcase."

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Alright..." She frowned. "Vlad better not have been trying to scare us. If I find out he has another sleezy plan up his sleeve, oh will he be hearing from me!"

Despite his words, Danny couldn't help but feel worried. Stay away from ghosts? Yeah, the Box Ghost made him sick, but… Was there something more?

At last, he fell into a fitful sleep.

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**Thanks to: AvatarKatara38, Pink Pagoda, inukagome15, Princess of Danny Phantom, Goldenfeather**


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